Ambling along after work yesterday, plugged into my ipod, I was listening to something melancholy and feeling…melancholy (go figure), and pretty much just reveling in being disconnected from the world around me and lost in the interior landscape of my thoughts.

So I headed towards the subway, and no sooner had I started down the stairs that I was forced into this plane of reality by the feeling of someone grabbing me by the arm.

I turned, probably looking somewhat annoyed, and was met by the sight of a cute blond woman who started to speak, but then hesitated when she noticed the headphones in my ears and the look of surprise on my face. But after a beat, she soldiered on: